Blue-winged Thorinopteryx
Also known as "Toruk" The Blue-winged Leonopteryx is flying creature native to the planet of Pandora. Although it was long thought that the Great Leonopteryx was the was the largest and most powerful ariel predator of Pandora, xenobiologists have recently found that they are actually the much more successful sub-species of the larger Blue-winged Leonopteryx, which for some unknown reason have all but dissapeared from the planet. As with the Great Leonopteryx, the Blue-winged Leonopteryx has its place in Na'vi lore and culture, they are inspired by its sheer power and awsome beauty. There is no distinction between the name of the Great Leonopteryx and the Blue-winged Leonopteryx in Na'Vi language. It is celebrated in dance, song, and with elaborate totems that symbolize both the fear and respect accorded to the creature.This creature's name in Na'vi translates roughly to "Last Shadow" as its preferred method of attack is from above. Therefore, the last thing you see is its shadow. They were first discovered by a Team of Avatars lead by Dr.Grace Augustine. The Blue- winged Leonopteryx is carnivorous, and is thought to feed mainly on Mountain and Forest Banshees and other smaller prey such as Sting Bats but an extensive study of the Animals behaviour has not been possible due to locational factors. It is possible that the Larger Blue-Winged Leonopteryx has the strength and power to be able to tackle larger prey such as the Dire horse. Anatomy The anatomy of the Blue-winged Leonopteryx is very simmilar to that of the Great Leonopteryx; however, colouration and scale are somewhat different. Dark navy blue body covered with 4 paralel lines of white bio-luminecent patches running from snout to tail,huge wings that are a similiar colour to that of the skin of the Na'Vi, and large bright scarlet and black crest on the bottom of it's head, similar to that of a mountain banshees, and a very small upper crest. The crest on its head is thought to be used much in the same way as its cousin, "to injure or disembowel prey, or cut vegetation obstructing flight". Like the Banshee and the Great Leonopteryx it has a distensible jaw, a large brain cavity, and membranous wings stretched taut over carbon fiber bone structure. It also has powerful talons for grasping prey and perching, twin tail for flight control, and flow-through ventilation for high performance. The wingspan is thought to be more than 35 meters, 10 metres wider than the largest Great Leonopteryx, with the wings being composed of individual finned members that can separate to act as slotted airfoil, or overlap and seal to form a solid surface. Further specific details on the anatomy are unavailable as further study of the creature has proved to be extremely dangerous. Few have ever returned from an encounter with a Blue-Winged Leonopteryx. Location Due to the relativly small exploration of the moon pandora, xenobioligists are not sure if Blue-winged Leonopteryx are present in any distant regions of the moon. The only known area where the Blue-wing is known to be present is a small,secluded area in the center of the Hallelujah mountains. Unusual Facts *During a study of a Blue-winged Leonoptoryx's skeleton, small, tightly packed sensory quills were found on its crest. It is still unknown what they are used for, but xenobioligists hypothesize that they are used to find prey by sensing the changes in the strong magnetic fields of the Hallelujah mountains. See Also *Torebhey *Great Leonopteryx Category:Species